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Becca Gibson Ph.D.
  • Associate Professor of Education

Education
Rebecca Gibson

Growing up, I was always the girl with a book in her hands. I loved reading and I loved writing, and I thought a profession where I could share that love would be teaching! I was right, but I couldn’t have predicted quite how magical or life-changing having a role in teaching young children to read would be. After obtaining my undergraduate degree and elementary teaching certification, I knew I wanted to gain expertise in the reading field, which led to a Master’s degree in Reading Education and Reading Specialist Certification. Serving as a Reading Specialist and Literacy Coach in the public school system, I was humbled to be a part of the literacy acquisition adventures of young learners every day. My Ph.D. studies deepened interests in vocabulary acquisition in children, the role of nonfiction texts in primary classrooms, early intervention for reading difficulties, and emergent/beginning writing development and instruction in young learners. When I completed my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Literacy focus from the University of Maryland at College Park, I knew that one day I wanted to work with pre-service teachers and help prepare them to bring the gift of literacy to their future students.

Education

2007
Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy Focus, University of Maryland, College Park
1998
M.Ed. in Reading Education, Towson University
1996
B.A. in French and Elementary Education Teaching Certification, Albright College

Research Interests

  • Vocabulary acquisition in children

  • The role of nonfiction texts in primary classrooms

  • Early intervention for reading difficulties

  • Emergent/beginning writing development and instruction in young learners

  • Pre-service teachers' self-efficacy in Literacy Instruction

Recent Courses

  • EDU 2015: Literacy Processes and Acquisition

  • EDU 4206: Teaching Writing with Children's Literature

  • RDS 546: Diagnostic Reading Assessment

Clubs and community involvement

  • Advisory Council for Teacher Education, McDaniel College

  • Education Department Faculty Liaison 

Awards and Honors

  • Finalist in the International Reading Association's Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award (May, 2008)

Rebecca Gibson

"All children have the right to read. If you want to make the world a better place, teaching a child to read is a good start. Literacy is power."